What Does A Creatinine Urine Test Show?

What is Creatinine?

Creatinine urine test is a waste product produced from the normal wear and tear of muscles. It is produced from creatinine, a protein needed to generate the energy for muscle contractions.

Its production essentially reflects lean body mass, and because this mass changes little per day, the production rate is fairly constant. Women, children, and older people tend to have lower levels of creatinine as compared to adult men because they have less muscle mass. 

Creatinine is removed from the body by the kidneys, which filter almost all of it from the blood into the urine. Thus, urine creatinine levels can be used as a measure of kidney health.

If kidney function is impaired, creatinine levels in urine decrease.

Urine Test Types & Procedure

There are two main types of urine creatinine tests:

• Random urine test: it is when you collect a urine sample at a random time in the day and bring it to the lab for analysis
• 24h creatinine test: which involves storing your urine in a special container over a full 24-hour period before bringing it to the lab

Urine Creatinine Normal Range

Regular Test

• Urine creatinine test results are usually reported in mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter).
• The normal range is around 20 – 275 mg/dL in women and 20 – 320 mg/dL in men. Ranges may vary between laboratories.

Low Urine Creatinine

Causes

The causes shown here have been associated with low creatinine levels. Your doctor will interpret your value, taking into account your medical history, symptoms, and other test results.

Low urine creatinine levels can be caused by

• Kidney damage and disease  
• Over-hydration
• Muscle wasting
• Diabetes

Some drugs can also decrease urine creatinine levels:

• Antibiotics
• NSAIDs
• Acetaminophen

High Urine Creatinine

Causes

Urine creatinine levels correspond to lean body mass and can be higher if your muscle mass is above average. Your doctor will interpret your value, taking into account your medical history, symptoms, and other test results.

The causes shown here have been associated with high creatinine levels. Work with your doctor or another healthcare professional to get an accurate diagnosis.

High levels of creatinine in urine can be due to:

• Dehydration
• Strenuous exercise 
• Diet high in meat and protein
• Creatinine supplements
• Pregnancy
• Early diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Polycystic kidney disease
• Sickle cell anemia